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Video game review: Bully
Bully metes out juvenile justice
By Adam Goldstein
goldstea@mscd.edu

Bully Platform: PS2 Rockstar Games $39.99

Bully, Rockstar Games’ latest free-roaming epic for PlayStation 2, proves revenge is a dish best served with a Dualshock controller.

For any gamer who was ever the victim of a wedgie, a swirlie or an Indian burn in grade school, Bully is a convenient forum for post-traumatic vengeance. As Jimmy Hopkins, a 14-year-old ruffian fighting his way through the social pitfalls of Bullworth Academy, players have free rein to ascend the adolescent social ladder by any menacing means necessary.

The result is a game that, in its worst moments, plays like a toned-down version of Rockstar’s ubiquitous Grand Theft Auto series. Although the parallels to the popular franchise are frequent, Bully manages to forge its own angst-ridden, acne-riddled personality. The game’s fresh storyline and engaging gameplay help it escape Grand Theft Auto’s imposing shadow despite the omnipresent parallels.

The plot is comparable to any number of ’80s high school films that pit the awkward newcomer against the merciless establishment. In Bully, Jimmy must conquer four distinct social groups – preps, jocks, nerds and greasers – in his quest to clean up the school and curb its endless stream of bullying. In addition, he must win the respect of the townies, the no-good dropouts who loiter in the town’s industrial section. Once he has placated the school’s cliques, Jimmy must overthrow a psychotic student bent on the domination of the school.

Like any good Rockstar game, Bully’s open format lends itself to endless side missions. To avoid the ire of the school’s authority figures, Jimmy must attend chemistry, photography, art, gym, shop and English classes. Passing five stages of every course carries its own rewards, from spiffy new bikes to new weapons such as stink bombs and itching powder.

As the plot progresses, Jimmy is free to roam through the sprawling city surrounding Bullworth Academy and indulge in a host of auxiliary minigames. Bike and Go-Kart races, paper routes, carnival and dodgeball games, and photographic spy missions are all available in Bully’s detailed universe.

As in Grand Theft Auto, the story missions are engaging and challenging at their best, repetitive and derivative at their worst. The game successfully translates seemingly trite tasks, such as taking a girl to a carnival or dancing as the school mascot, into enjoyable and innovative action. However, it falls flat when Jimmy is forced to spring multiple characters from the town’s loony bin or protect the school’s lunch lady when she’s on a date.

As for the gameplay itself, the intrinsic structure echoes Rockstar’s most profitable franchise. The game’s targeting system, combat, map, street races and weapons menu will be familiar to any player of Grand Theft Auto. Bully’s real innovation is in its subtle changes, its acerbic humor and nuanced wit.

In lieu of the lethal firearms and Molotov cocktails of Grand Theft Auto, Jimmy attacks with slingshots, rotten eggs, firecrackers and marbles. Instead of salacious romps with hookers in automobiles, Jimmy’s most daring amorous encounters are stolen kisses (from boys and girls alike). In this game, the main character’s worst offenses are limited to misdemeanors.

Though Bully lacks the grandiose scope and gritty action of the Grand Theft Auto series, there is something perversely satisfying and cathartic about stuffing an arrogant preppie into a trash can, giving a hulking jock a swirlie and stuffing a ’50s-era greaser into a locker.